Ferrero Group's Crunch brand is revamping its marketing platform with its new Turn Up the Fun campaign. The campaign aims to re-energize the brand and position the classic candy bar texture as a vehicle to inject fun moments into the mundane nature of everyday life by bringing excitement to the daily responsibilities that feel ... flat.
Crunch's focus is capturing the Millennial market, and to resonate with this audience, the brand is leaning into humor. According to YPulse, 74% of millennials send memes to make people laugh or smile, and according to Pollstar, 60% of Netflix subscribers saw at least one stand up title in 2022, with comedy tours seeing a rapid increase.
To bring this platform to life, Crunch just released a new TVC directed by comedian, actor, writer and director Eric Warheim.
To learn more about the ad campaign, we reached out to Amber Hansinger, vice president of marketing, Ferrero Group.
Liz Parker: How did Crunch get the idea for the ad campaign?
Amber Hansinger: What’s unique about Crunch is that the crisped rice packed into this creamy milk chocolate makes Crunch the chocolate bar you can both taste and hear. In partnership with our creative agency Translation, we started thinking about situations where the texture of a Crunch bar could be the catalyst for fun in the moments that people need it most. Waiting in line at the airport is one of those moments, which is why we focused on that experience to kick off Turn Up the Fun.
LP: How is Crunch focusing on capturing the millennial market and resonating with that audience?
AH: Crunch is capturing the Millennial market by leaning into humor, which happens to be a natural fit for the brand’s fun and playful personality. From research, we found that Millennials are very into humor, and many bond over their shared mundane experiences by sending memes to one another. Turn Up the Fun drives relatability around the fact that adulting is hard and can sometimes be plagued with responsibilities that seem boring, such as going through airport security. With Turn Up the Fun we hope to encourage Millennials to find fun in their daily routines.
LP: Why did the brand decide to partner with comedian/actor/writer/director Eric Wareheim for the campaign?
AH: Eric really understands the humor of meme culture, which made him the perfect fit for this campaign. His work on other brands made us feel confident that he had the right sense of humor and after seeing his treatment for the spot, we knew he could nail it. Eric brought out the humor that was already in the script rather than trying to add too much to it and overshadowing the product and the writing. He found a great balance between making a beautiful, attention-grabbing spot and showcasing Crunch bars and their ability to be the perfect escape from mundane moments.
LP: How is the brand partnering with other influencers for the campaign?
AH: Without giving away too much, we have some exciting plans to extend this concept into social content across text- and video-based platforms. There’s so much content online about mundane moments and everyday adult responsibilities. Whether it’s waiting in line at airport security, chores such as filing taxes, hearing sports commentators talk a lot but say very little, or anything else we’ve all dealt with in our adult lives, we’re going to work with our partners to show you why Crunch bar is the way to break free from the flatness of everyday life.
LP: Does CRUNCH have any new products coming out soon?
AH: Consumers can enjoy our many existing Crunch products including our classic Crunch Bar, Fun Size, Minis, and of course Buncha Crunch. Buncha Crunch will be available in a new 2.8-oz. Share Pack at Walmart in September. Additionally, come this holiday season we’ll have exciting seasonal offerings in festive packaging to help consumers Turn Up the Fun with CRUNCH even more.
Ferrero Group is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.
